CSRT Continues to Support RTs through COVID-19
RTs Preparing for the Capacity Challenges Posed by COVID-19
April 8, 2020New CSRT Research Page
August 13, 2020
Dear CSRT members,
Please allow me to take this opportunity to commend each of you for stepping up in exceptional ways to the many challenges resulting from COVID-19. You are providing care, leadership and expertise in ways you have been preparing for, but often in severely disrupted contexts.
Through all of this, the CSRT continues to work harder than ever to support you. We are excited to announce new CSRT initiatives that will help support RTs both through the pandemic and beyond.
The CSRT website now includes open access courses for respiratory therapists.
CSRT Open Access Courses are available to members and non-members alike, and include newly developed CSRT courses on the management of acute respiratory failure during COVID-19. Also available are new CSRT refresher courses in mechanical ventilation aimed at RTs returning to practice after retirement, and those identifying a need for an update. Other new courses and webinars are being planned on topics that members tell us are needed, and we look forward to announcing these in the coming weeks.
The CSRT will be hosting a 2020 E-Conference Series.
Prior to COVID-19 we had been looking forward to an incredible CSRT Annual Conference in Montreal, originally scheduled to happen next week. While we will miss seeing you all in person, we have reimagined the 56th annual conference and are thrilled to announce the CSRT 2020 E-Conference Series! Available anywhere, the CSRT 2020 E-Conference Series will include over 22 educational sessions covering a wide range of topics of importance to RTs. The E-Conference will be complimentary to all CSRT members. Recognizing how busy many of you are at this time, sessions will be made available both live and on-demand to ensure you always have the access you need to CPD.
The CSRT Continues to Advocate for You.
You may have noticed that some of the work the CSRT is doing to advocate on your behalf recently has been quite public. As is the case in most all aspects of our professional and personal lives, the manner in which associations engage government has seen a dramatic shift toward digital advocacy.
The CSRT is pleased with the successful track record of our advocacy initiatives, such as one recently directed at the Government of Ontario aimed at ensuring RTs are recognized fairly their contributions alongside their interprofessional colleagues. Positive outcomes like this decisively demonstrate the impact of the CSRT advocacy program.
An effective advocacy campaign, however, is much more than open letters and political pressure using digital media. The strongest strategy remains one of establishing trust with government through proactive engagement over the long term. It is through established partnerships between organizations and with governments that the CSRT proactively influences change. While we will continue to confront issues that impact RTs in all communities across Canada directly as they arise, we will not waver in our commitment to work upstream to prevent their occurrence.
The countless hours of quiet, behind-the-scenes advocacy may not always be reflected in social media feeds or through direct messages from the CSRT. However, as a result the voice and perspectives of respiratory therapists are being heard at all levels of government - and RTs are influencing government decision-making. It also can’t be overstated that as you provide expert care to your patients and leadership among your colleagues, you are reinforcing the important message that respiratory therapists’ knowledge and expertise are integral parts of our health care system at every point along the continuum of care.
On behalf of the CSRT, I wish safety and good health as you provide leadership and care to Canadians each day.
Take good care,
Dr. Andrew West, CEO
Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists
Please allow me to take this opportunity to commend each of you for stepping up in exceptional ways to the many challenges resulting from COVID-19. You are providing care, leadership and expertise in ways you have been preparing for, but often in severely disrupted contexts.
Through all of this, the CSRT continues to work harder than ever to support you. We are excited to announce new CSRT initiatives that will help support RTs both through the pandemic and beyond.
The CSRT website now includes open access courses for respiratory therapists.
CSRT Open Access Courses are available to members and non-members alike, and include newly developed CSRT courses on the management of acute respiratory failure during COVID-19. Also available are new CSRT refresher courses in mechanical ventilation aimed at RTs returning to practice after retirement, and those identifying a need for an update. Other new courses and webinars are being planned on topics that members tell us are needed, and we look forward to announcing these in the coming weeks.
The CSRT will be hosting a 2020 E-Conference Series.
Prior to COVID-19 we had been looking forward to an incredible CSRT Annual Conference in Montreal, originally scheduled to happen next week. While we will miss seeing you all in person, we have reimagined the 56th annual conference and are thrilled to announce the CSRT 2020 E-Conference Series! Available anywhere, the CSRT 2020 E-Conference Series will include over 22 educational sessions covering a wide range of topics of importance to RTs. The E-Conference will be complimentary to all CSRT members. Recognizing how busy many of you are at this time, sessions will be made available both live and on-demand to ensure you always have the access you need to CPD.
The CSRT Continues to Advocate for You.
You may have noticed that some of the work the CSRT is doing to advocate on your behalf recently has been quite public. As is the case in most all aspects of our professional and personal lives, the manner in which associations engage government has seen a dramatic shift toward digital advocacy.
The CSRT is pleased with the successful track record of our advocacy initiatives, such as one recently directed at the Government of Ontario aimed at ensuring RTs are recognized fairly their contributions alongside their interprofessional colleagues. Positive outcomes like this decisively demonstrate the impact of the CSRT advocacy program.
An effective advocacy campaign, however, is much more than open letters and political pressure using digital media. The strongest strategy remains one of establishing trust with government through proactive engagement over the long term. It is through established partnerships between organizations and with governments that the CSRT proactively influences change. While we will continue to confront issues that impact RTs in all communities across Canada directly as they arise, we will not waver in our commitment to work upstream to prevent their occurrence.
The countless hours of quiet, behind-the-scenes advocacy may not always be reflected in social media feeds or through direct messages from the CSRT. However, as a result the voice and perspectives of respiratory therapists are being heard at all levels of government - and RTs are influencing government decision-making. It also can’t be overstated that as you provide expert care to your patients and leadership among your colleagues, you are reinforcing the important message that respiratory therapists’ knowledge and expertise are integral parts of our health care system at every point along the continuum of care.
On behalf of the CSRT, I wish safety and good health as you provide leadership and care to Canadians each day.
Take good care,
Dr. Andrew West, CEO
Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists
